Dapol Western diesel & Kadee couplings

[Ron Solly]

While it appears to be easy to replace the tension lock coupler with a Kadee plugin version #19 or #20, once in, the top part of the slot below the buffers appears to push the Kadee downwards so the glad arm does not clear the Kadee gauge lip & the knuckle is slightly lower. yes, one could bend the glad arm but that does not bring the knuckles in line.

Has any other modeller found this & the method to fix it?                
 

[Butler Henderson]

Seems to a bit of the reverse of the overheight Bachmann and Heljan mounts and you need to make up a NEM coupling to fit. Take a spare tension lock coupling with a NEM fitting and cut it down so that you have the NEM fitment and a short length bit (SLB) of plastic which will fit the NEM socket without clashing with the bufferbeam. Now cut off the NEM fitment from the Kadee and glue and/or bolt it to the SLB. If the Kadee is too low remove it from the SLB and fit instead to the SLB a further SLB to which the Kadee can be fixed on top of.

[Ron Solly]

I finally fixed it by filling the upper part of the slot to make the slot higher - this allow the coupler arm to be correct & so the knuckle is now also correct.  there was a small lip on the top edge which I removed - a rough guess 0.25 - 0.5 mm  .
 

[Butler Henderson]

Becoming less and less keen on the appearance of the Dapol Western with NEM Kadees. Looks to be enough space to fit a 30 series especially if the back of the draft box is thinned down. There is a fixing screw directly in the body shell at either end where the 30 would need screwing; anyone know what that screw holds in place / is it a problem if undone?

 

[Butler Henderson]

Said screw turns out to be a plastic chassis - metal chassis joining screw and undoing it has no immediate consequences. Now the puzzle, measured it as 0.96-0.99m which is M1 to me but picking up my pack of M1 bolts they simply slid through the threaded recess in the metal chassis  Lined a 30 draft box in position and seems that it will fit okay other than the necessity of chopping off the NEM mount - much  approaching as I do not get on with 30 springs once I work out the correct bolt and suitable bushes to take up the slack in the fixing hole of the 30.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Butler Henderson

[MikeParkin65]

I'm surprised at this topic, both of mine have Kadees (18, 19 or 20 - I can't tell you which at the moment as I'm at work) fitted directly into the NEM slot without any problems at all. 

[Butler Henderson]

Had no problem with the NEM Kadees fitting/working properly - its the huge scar across the face of the loco that I dislike. By fitting a 30 series the Kadee can swing from a central pivot allowing for most of the pipework etc  to be represented with the non coupling cowling fitting trimmed to clear the 30.

[MikeParkin65]

Had no problem with the NEM Kadees fitting/working properly - its the huge scar across the face of the loco that I dislike. By fitting a 30 series the Kadee can swing from a central pivot allowing for most of the pipework etc  to be represented with the non coupling cowling fitting trimmed to clear the 30.

I see - I thought I must be missing something! I’ve opted for full pipe work (and a crew to fill those huge windows) at one end and the coupling at the other. I turn my diesels on the steam shed turntable. It’s all a compromise is it not?